Twerk in progress: Why stars are hooked on new dance craze

Judi James claims that Miley may be twerking so much to liberate herself from her squeaky clean child star image [AP]

Now it seems everyone from celebs to royals is getting down and dirty with the latest dance craze – twerking.

The saucy move, which first started as part of hip-hop culture in the 1990s, involves bending over and wiggling the hips while jiggling your bum.

Miley, 20, famously shed her squeakyclean image with some X-rated twerking at last month’s MTV Music Awards – and now celebs across the globe can’t get enough of it.

Rihanna, 25, US rapper Nicki Minaj, 30, and singer Selena Gomez, 21, have all been shaking their booty. And even Princess Eugenie had a go this week when she cheekily bent down in front of a stuffed bear while on holiday in Switzerland.

The X Factor judge Nicole Scherzinger, 35, showed off her twerking skills on holiday in California, while British beauties Vanessa White, 23 and Mollie King, 26, from The Saturdays have also been at it.

The word twerk, a combination of twist and jerk, was first recorded in asong by DJ Jubilee in 1993.

Now the dance has become so popular it has even been included in the online version of the Oxford English Dictionary.

It is defined as to “dance to popular music in a sexually provocative manner involving thrusting hip movements and a low, squatting stance”.

Bajan beaty Rihanna has also gave the twerking craze a whirl [SPLASH]

“For stars such as Miley, who have had a squeaky-clean image, it’s a rite of passage. It’s more about rebellion than sex”

Judi James

TV body language expert Judi James says: “Twerking imitates about the most obvious sexual display in the animal kingdom – the most basic animal mating ritual.”

But while it may be raunchy, Judi believes there is more to it than meets the eye.

She says: “It’s often done ironically as a joke. In this way it’s attempting to assert the sexual power of the woman – and can actually be seen as an act of female liberation.

“Interestingly, it’s often accompanied by crotch clutching – a move more often associated with men. And in fact, while it may appear to be sexy, the reaction of most men is to run for the hills!

“For stars such as Miley, who have had a squeaky-clean image, it’s a rite of passage. It’s more about rebellion than sex.

“And you can be sure that when the royals start doing it, it isn’t going to remain sexy for long!”